Object conveying and discharge device



April 1942- G; w. WHITEHURST OBJECT CONVEYiNG AND DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed June 13, 1940 Patented Apr. 7, 1942 oer-ICE OBJECT CONVEYING AND DISCHARGE DEVICE George W. Whitehurst, Portsmouth, Va.

Application June 13, 1940, Serial No. 340,406

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a combined carrier and discharge device for a written message or other desired object or article.

The invention aims to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a device of the class referred to, for conducting an object to a distance above the earth and for automatically discharging it at a high altitude.

The invention further aims to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a device of the type referred to including a wind driven element for conveying an article to a high altitude and a bumper element engageable by said wind driven element as the latter travels upwardly to thereby provide for the actuation of said wind driven element for automatically releasing the object at a high altitude. v

The device includes a, stationary bumper element and a wind driven trolley element de signed primarily, when the, device is to beused, to be supported, by way of example, by the string of a kite, but itis to be understood that said element is to be installed with respect to any form of supporting means which is found applicable.

The invention further aims to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a device of the class referred to in the form of a toy, which provides. when used in connection with a kite to add much to the, pleasure of kite flying, promotes better kite making, calls for a longer and a better kite string, appeals to the young and old, amusing to children, capable of being readily used by children for sending messages between their homes or yards by raising one end of the kite string alternately to cause the trolley element to run back and forth, for sending a message to a distant 'point and for the discharging at an altitude of a prize to be recovered by one of a number of adults for it. v

The invention further aims to provide, in a and children searching manner as hereinafter set forth, a device of the class'referred to which is strong, durable, releasably secured upon a combined track forming and, supporting means therefor, by way of example a kite string, affording considerable interest and amusement when used, capable of being employed for advertising purposes for dropping objects at high altitudes, readily installed with respect to its supporting means and inexpensive to manufacture.

Embodying the aims aforesaid and others which may hereinafter appear the invention and arrangement of parts as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the consists of the novel construction, combination scope of the claims hereinafter presented.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device showing the same by way of example installed with respect to the string of a kite,

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 Figure 1 upon an enlarged scale,

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the trolley element of the device uponan enlarged scale, and

Figure 4 is an elevation looking to one side of the trolley element upon an enlarged scale when in released position.

With reference to Figure 1, thebody of a kite is indicated at 5, the tail of the kite at 6 and the kite string 1. g

The device includes a bumper element, generally indicated at 8, and a combined carrier and trolley element, generally indicated at 9, adapted to impact the element 8 for 'a purpose to .be referred to. H

The bumper element 8 may be formed of cork or rubber and preferably it will consist of a pair of oppositely disposed semi-circular sections In,

H of like form having their inner faces provided with lengthwise grooves which coact to provide an axial opening for the passage of the string 1. The element 8 is tightly secured to the string or track 1' by spaced wrappings l2 disposed circumferentially of element 8 and which fixedly secures the latter to string 1. It is to be understood,'however, that element 8 -may be formed of one'piece of material having an axial opening for the passage of the string 1, and that such material will possess a compressible characteristic, such as cork or rubber to tightly bind against the string 1 when the wrappings I 2 are fixedly placed in position about the abutment. The element 8 will be arranged on the upper portion of the string 1 and in the path of upward travel of the element 9.

The element 9 constitutes a means for travelling upwardly on the string 1 for carrying an object to a high altitude, and when element 9 impacts the bumper element 8 it will be actuated to an extent to release the object carried thereby, and such object will be delivered or discharged at a high altitude. The object conveyed by the element 9 is generally indicated at 3 and it will be of such form as to enable it to be operator and another object releasably attached thereto.

The object I3 is illustrated by way of example .5

in the form of a bag containing a prize or written. message arranged therein. The mouth of the ba is closed by a string l5, which is so formed to.

provide an upwardly extending loop .for. the. pur-..

pose of detachably connecting the'object |3 to the element 9. It is to be understoodjthat the object, which is to be conveyed to a high altitude by and then released from the element 9 may beof any characterdesired. The. element is substantially of V'-shape and formed of a pair of oppositely disposed extending spring control pivotally connected sections I1, |8 of like form but oppositely disposed. Each of the sections has its inner terminal portion in the .form of a jaw 9 provided with outer and inner lengthwise edges. The outer edge has a straight upper or forward part 2|J'and an inwardly curved rear or inner part 2|. The said inner edge consists of a straight forward or upper part 22 of less length than theedgepart 20, an inwardly ex-' tending downwardly inclined intermediate part 23 and a rear or straight part 24 of less length than. the edge part 22. The lower straight edge part 24 constitutes a gripper and the edge parts 22, 23 provide wall forming portions of an opening to be referred to. The jaw l3 merges at its forward or upper end into one side of the bot-- tom edge of a disc-like member 25, which has a portion offsetinwardly relative to said jaw. The member 25 is formed with anaxial opening 26; Integral with the outer side of the top edge of the member 25 is an upstanding outwardly inclined suspension arm'formed of outer; intermediate and inner portions 28, 29, 30 respectively merginginto eachotherand disposed in oflset relation. The inner portion 30 of thearm 21 isprovided on its inner side with a lateral extension 3| having astraightedge part 32 which constitutes a 'stop' for a purpose to be referred to. Integral with and extending outwardly from theupper terminal part of the portion'28 is a downwardly inclined support 33 merging at'its outer end into a vertically disposed flat retainer 34 of yoke-shapeform, which is disposed at right angles to the outer end of thesupport 33'; The

latter gradually increases in width from itspoint of mergence with the portion 25 'I'l'iedretainer which also constitutes an impactor' is arranged below and is suspended in spaced relationfwith respect to the upper end of the armf21. :The portion 28 ofthe arm 21, in proximity to the upper end thereof is formed with an opening 35 in which is secured one end of a lateral extending shaft 36. V Revolubly mounted on. the shaft 35 and suitably connected thereon is a grooved pulley 31. The portion 30 of the arm 21. is provided with spaced aligned openings 38 forwardly of the extension 3| fora purpose to be referred to. ,When element 3 is assembled, the members 25 are arranged opposed relation and have their openings 26 align. The sections |1, I8 are pivotally connected together by a pivot member 39 extending through the aligned openings 26.

One of the jaws I9 is offset to that member 25 with which it is integral to provide for the arms 21 are disposed in extended relation with the straight edge parts 24 abutting or with said straightedgeparts grasping an object I3.

The controlling spring for the sections I1, I8 is indicated at 40 and it is V-shaped contour. Each of the arms of the spring 40 is formed at its free end with a hook-like terminal portion 4|. The said portions 4| coact with an opening 38 of the arms 21 for connecting the spring 40 to said arms, and the action of the spring is to normally maintain the element 9 in the portion as shown 'in Figure 1. The straight edges 32 of the extensions 3| limit the extent of the shifting of the arms towards each other when moving the jaws |9.'away from each other to release the object l3, and when in releasedposition, element 9 will appearas shownby Figure 4.

The inner side edges of.the jaws. l9, when the sections H are extended coact to form a normally closed opening between the jaws IQ for the ,passage of the loop l6 ,when the .edge parts abut, whereby the jaws l9 will suspend the object or article l3, as is shown by Figure 1.. when the jaws l9 are open, the inner' edge parts.23 thereof facilitate the passageof theloop |6 from. between the jaws IS on the release or discharge of the object l3 from the element .9. When the edge parts 24 grasp an object, immediately upon the opening of the jaws such object is discharged.

When the element 9 is arranged relative to the string or track 1, the pulleys travel on the latter and the string passes through the retainers 34.

As the retainers. are oppositely disposed, they,

function in connection 'with the pulleys to releasably hold theelement -9 on the string 1. When element-3 is mounted'onstring- 1 it will appear as shown-by Figure 1. i

"The providing of each of the arms 21 witha plurality of openings 38 will permit of increasing or decreasing the tension of the spring 40 depending upon connecting the spring to the outer or to the inner opening 38 on each arm 21. When the spring is connected'to the arms 21 it willbe disposed ata'n inclination to the latter. The spring 40 normally tends to spread the arms 21 apart and also functions to maintain the pulleys travelling on the spring 1 The form of element! is such that as it is being forced upwardly bythe wind driven object, the string helps to open the jaws when element 9 impacts element 8.

The edge parts 24 of the jaws l9 will act as pinchers or grippers to hold flat wind driven objects and the opening, 42 will be employed for the passag therethrough of. a loop extended from, other forms of wind driven objects; under such conditions the jaws will function to not only be employed for dropping circulars, cards, or tickets as is now done by an airplane.

V The element 9 is reversible as either retainer 34 may be employed to impact element 9 to provide for the opening of the jaws to release the object carried. ,The retainers 34 form broad impacting surfaces.

To prevent the element 9 from crashing into the hand of the operator when it lowers by gravitation on the return just described about a fifteen inch circle with the hand that is holding the kite string, when the element 9 is about fifteen feet from the operator and under such conditions the element 9 will spin around on the string 1, come to a stop and strike the operators hand lightly.

The jaws I9 are so disposed to let the loop connecting an object thereto twist out of the jaws, as the object suspended is being rapidly rotated by the wind, and under such conditions the element 9 will return by gravitation and it will not be required to pull the kite in to release an object.

The jaws are so formed and the element 9 so constructed whereby a heavy pull by the object will release the jaws relative to the object before the impact of element 9 is had with the abutment.

In operation there will be objects suspended that will have relatively small surface area for the wind to hit, there would be a slow travel up, and maybe a lull in the wind would cause the toy to stop at the bumper with no impact, but as soon as wind pressure increased, the pull would effect a release, the bumper acting as a fulcrum for the jaws to open by the pull of the object.

Until the toy reaches the bumper the power to pull out of the jaws is used to pull the toy up, this power is ofiset by the spring, but when the toy is against the bumper, the pulling power of the object is used to pull the jaws open and eifect a release.

What I claim is:

1. A normally extended actuable reversible combined carrier and trolley element for releasably suspending a wind driven object and adapted for travelling upwardly on an inclined track to impact an abutment disposed in the path of travel of andto actuate the element to release the object, said element comprising a pair of oppositely extended selectably shiftable sections pivotally connected together at a point between their horizontal medians and lower ends,

' portion and an upstanding retainer integral with and disposed at right angles to the outer end of the support for the passage of the track, said retainer being spaced from and disposed at right angles to the pulley and capable of impacting the abutment on the upward travel of said element, each of said sections having its lower terminal portion in the form of an adjustable jaw, a controlling spring common to and connected to said sections for normally maintaining said pulleys in projected relation with respect to each other, said jaws coacting for releasably suspending the wind driven object from actuate one of the sections of said elements towards the other to release said object, and said retainers correlating with said pulleys'for maintaining the latter on the track.

2. A normally extended actuable reversible combined carrier and trolley element for releasably suspending a wind driven object and adapted for travelling upwardly on an inclined track to impact an abutment disposed in the path of travel of and to actuate the element to release the object, said element comprising a pair of 0ppositely extended selectably shiftable sections pivotally connected together at a point between their horizontal medians and lower ends, each of said sections having an upper terminal portion ofiset with respect to its lower terminal portion, said upper terminal portion being provided at its upper end with a revolubly suspended trolley for travelling on the track, an outwardly directed downwardly inclined support on the side edge of said upper terminal portion, and an upstanding retainer integral with and disposed at right angles to the outer end of the support for I the passage of the track, said retainer being spaced from and disposed at right angles to the pulley and capable of impacting the abutment on the upward travel of said element, each of saidsections having its lower terminal portion in the form of an adjustable jaw, a controlling spring common to and connected to said sections for normally maintaining said pulleys in projected relation with respect to each other, said jaws coacting for releasably suspending the wind driven object from said element to cause said object to propel said element upwardly on the track to thereby provide for a retainer to impact the abutment to actuate one of the sections of said elements towards the other to release said object, said retainers correlating with said pulleys for maintaining the latter on the track, said pulleys being arranged on inner faces of and extended above the upper ends of the said upper terminal portions, and said retainers extending inwardly from the outer ends of said supports.

3. A normally extended actuable reversible combined carrier and trolley element for releasably suspending a wind driven object and adapted for travelling upwardly on an inclined track to impact, an abutment disposed in the path of travel of and to actuate-the element to release the object, said element comprising a pair of oppositely extended selectably shiftable sections pivotallyconnected together at .a point between their horizontal medians and lower ends, each of said sections having an upper terminal' portion oiTset with respect to its lower terminal portion, said upper terminal portion being provided at its upper end with a revolubly suspended trolley for travelling on the track, an outwardly directed downwardly inclined support on the side edge of said upper terminal portion and an upstanding retainer integral with release said object, said retainer correlating with said pulleysfor maintaining the latter on the track, said supports gradually increasing in" width outwardly, and said spring being of V-formhaving its base seated on one section and its legs ti engaging 1 in both sections.

GEORGE w,wrn"rmronsr., 

